1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to surgical cutting instruments, and more particularly relates to electrosurgical scalpels and scissors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrosurgical vaporization is a medically accepted procedure very often used to remove submucous fibroids, polyps, adhesions and intrauterine septa. An example of an electrosurgical vaporization device is the VersaPoint™ bipolar electrosurgery system marketed by Gynecare Worldwide, a division of Ethicon, Inc. With such a device, a localized RF (radio frequency) current flows through a physiological compatible fluid medium, such as saline, at the surgical site, in this case, the patient's uterus, whereupon an electrode tip of the instrument is energized and contacts the endometrium (i.e., the lining of the uterus) to vaporize the targeted tissue. The advantage of this procedure, and vaporization procedures in general, is that it facilitates tissue removal or cutting while simultaneously providing hemostasis.
Electrosurgical transecting instruments employing RF energy are also well known and commonly used in arthroscopic surgery. For example, the various ArthroWand™ surgical devices marketed by ArthroCare Corporation uses RF bipolar energy provided to spaced apart electrodes in a conductive medium, such as saline, to excite the electrolytes therein and thereby create a focused, energized plasma between the electrodes to cut or dissolve the targeted tissue while simultaneously sealing any bleeding vessels (i.e., effecting hemostasis).
There are also currently used electrosurgical blades and scissors. Ordinary, non-energized scalpels or scissors used in surgery result in tissue bleeding. Electrosurgical scalpels, and monopolar or bipolar scissors, transect tissue and simultaneously provide tissue cauterization to minimize bleeding. However, such electrosurgical instruments are used in a dry environment. Invariably, the surgical procedure in which they are used must be periodically interrupted so that the cutting surfaces of these instruments may be cleaned, thus prolonging the surgical procedure.